Ruff Riders fire head coach Dockery after 0-5 start

Reporter-News photo by Thomas Metthe
Former Abilene Ruff Riders head coach Gerald Dockery gives instructions to his players during the team’s practice as the team prepared to open its inaugural season in 2009. He was fired Sunday after an 0-5 start to the 2010 season.

An 0-5 start, punctuated by a 68-34 loss to the Austin TurfCats on Saturday, has cost Abilene Ruff Riders coach Gerald Dockery his job, as he confirmed Sunday that he had been fired by the team's new ownership group.

Dockery, who had compiled a 13-20 record as a head coach, had not won a game since new owners took over the team. Abilene's co-owners Scott Anderson, Paul Briscoe, Randy Fry, Derek Hood and Michael Redden, who operate as the Big Country Professional Sports Association, took over control of the team prior to this season.

"It's official," he said. "That's just the nature of the game."

Dockery, who was in his second year with Abilene, had been a member of the franchise since its inaugural season in Katy in 2007. He started that year as the defensive backs coach before being promoted to the defensive coordinator position. He took over as the team's head coach in 2008 — the Ruff Riders' final year in Katy.

He followed the team to Abilene and posted an 8-6 record last season, leading the Riders to their first playoff appearance in franchise history.

But a slow start to this season was more than the team's new ownership was willing to tolerate, he said.

"I think they wanted to win in their first year, and I definitely wanted to build on what we did last year," he said. "But when you start 0-5, it doesn't matter who the ownership group is, you're going to have to shake up something, and they decided it was me.

"It is disappointing because I've been with team since Katy; I've been here since Day 1," Dockery said. "I helped the transition here and when we almost lost the team, I helped find this ownership group. But this being an Abilene group, they wanted to win by any means. That's what their decision was, and I'm not bitter at all."